“I love the defensive tackles,” Mayock said, adding he believes five-to-seven players have first-round grades. “The depth in it is really good, too. You can go four or five rounds with the defensive tackles in any scheme.”

By contrast, Mayock is “not a fan of the defensive ends.”

Some of the top cornerbacks intrigue Mayock, but he believes teams must figure out their preferred “flavor” of size and skill set.

“I think the tight end class is a bad class,” Mayock said. “That’s not good given (Rob) Gronkowski and (Aaron) Hernandez and what we’ve seen in the NFL. Everybody’s looking for that next guy. I don’t have a first-round grade in the tight end class. I’ve got three second-round grades and then I’ve got kind of an abyss.”

LOTS OF COMPANY: Alabama running back Trent Richardson is one of nine members of the BCS Championship team in Indianapolis for the Combine.

The Crimson Tide had four first-round picks in 2011 and some draft analysts think Alabama may get five this year.

“If you’re weak-minded, you won’t last at Alabama,” Richardson said. “You have to have that mentality down there.”

LSU, Wisconsin and Miami all had eight players invited to the Combine.

ANOTHER CHANTICLEER: Coastal Carolina cornerback Josh Norman is trying to become the fourth active NFL player from the FCS school in Conway, South Carolina.

Norman shares an agent with receiver Jerome Simpson. Quarterback Tyler Thigpen also is from Coastal Carolina, as well as one other player.